VIDEO FACTFILE: The Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover

The Stevenage-built Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover's official name has been revealed, ahead of its mission to the red planet in 2020.

But, how much do you know about this amazing 'mobile laboratory', which was designed on Gunnels Wood Road?

A series of prototype rovers has been used since 2007 to thoroughly evaluate the design of the locomotion and navigation systems and to perfect improvements. Each prototype is given a nickname by the development team. First there was Bridget then Bruno and the latest is Bryan.

You'll see from the video (below) filmed during testing that there are six wheels, which can be 'walked' to negotiate the martian terrain. It also has a drill and rock crushing machine which can feed samples into an onboard laboratory:

If you thought driving along a pothole-filled road was bad enough, this is how the Mars Rover was put through its paces in vibration testing!

The rover...

1. Is slated for launch in 2020 and will take up to nine months to reach Mars

2. Will use parachutes, thrusters and damping systems to land safely on the surface

3. Will be the first Mars rover specifically designed to find evidence of past or present life